Mayor Vetoes Budget Approved By Wallingford Town Council

WALLINGFORD, CT — For the second year in a row, Wallingford Mayor William Dickinson Jr. has vetoed the budget adopted by the Town Council.

The Town Council last week approved a budget, by a 6-3 vote, that would use $1.5 million more of the town’s financial reserves than Dickinson proposed to reduce the mill rate by an additional 0.3 mills, according to the Meriden Record-Journal.

Dickinson, who authorized spending $6.4 million from the reserves in his proposed budget, called the council’s increase to $7.9 million the “most aggressive amount of reserves ever adopted as a component of the town budget.”

The Record-Journal reports the council’s budget would have cut the mill rate by 2.3 percent and set it at 28.52 mills.

Dickinson notified council members on Friday that he was vetoing the budget.

“Elected officials are entrusted with the responsibility of managing public owned property and assets,” Dickinson wrote in a letter to council members. “That solemn duty embraces complicated financial matters. Financial matters define the ability of government to continuously provide services needed by our community. Given the direct relationship between finances and continuity of services, it is of vital importance that we perform as trustees, acting with a fiduciary’s standard of prudence and care in our financial management decisions.

“The 2021-2022 Town of Wallingford budget, as adopted by the Town Council, increases reliance upon reserves to reduce taxes. Our reliance upon reserves increases from the proposed amount of $6.4 million to $7.9 million, to my knowledge the most aggressive amount of reserves ever adopted as a component of the Town budget.

“We all take note of the difficult economic climate hovering over Wallingford and the State of Connecticut; high unemployment, distressed businesses and personal income growth in Connecticut of minus 1.8%. Now is not the time to potentially reduce our credit rating reserve to a number less than 10% of our budget. The prudent fiduciary standard of care does not support increasing dependence upon reserves for operating costs of government. For these reasons, pursuant to Chapter III, Section 7 of the Wallingford Town Charter, the budget adopted by the Wallingford Town Council on May 11, 2021 is vetoed.”

The council could override Dickinson's veto with at least seven votes. If the council fails to override the veto, Dickinson's original budget will go into effect.

Dickinson’s original proposed budget lowered the tax rate to 28.85 mills, but the average residential property owner would see a $148 increase in taxes due to a recent revaluation, the Record-Journal previously reported.

Last year, Dickinson vetoed the council’s budget that kept the tax rate flat at 29.19 mills. Dickinson's proposed budget called for a 1.06-percent tax increase.

The council then voted 7-2 to override Dickinson’s veto.

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